former River Hawk guard who earned his minutes the hard way
Mark Cornelius was a tough, physical UMass Lowell guard whose best seasons came in 2012-13 and 2015-16, when he became a reliable glue guy rather than a headline scorer; as a senior in 2015-16, he started 17 of 29 games and averaged 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18.9 minutes, while also hitting milestones like 400 career points, 100 assists, and 50 steals. His value was energy, rebounding, and defensive activity — the kind of selfless, high-intensity player coaches love when they want a steady, competitive backcourt piece.
